Analog to digital conversion circuitry including backup conversion circuitry

ABSTRACT

An autoranging analog to digital conversion system is provided. The system may include a digitally programmable preamplifier for amplifying a difference between an analog input and an estimate of the analog input. The preamplifier may be coupled to an analog to digital converter for converting the preamplifier output to a digital signal. The system may also include digital domain predictor or estimation logic for determining an optimum gain and analog input estimate for a given analog input. Multiple signal input channels may be coupled to the analog to digital conversion system. The autoranging estimations may be performed on a sample by sample basis or a channel by channel basis. The conversion system may also include the use of a backup conversion path for use when the main conversion path overranges. The backup conversion path may utilize a dedicated backup converter. The backup conversion path may alternatively utilize the estimation converter to generate backup conversions or may utilize the main converter to generate backup conversions.

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No.09/945,926 filed Sep. 4, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,619 entitled“Autoranging Analog To Digital Conversion Circuitry” by Eric J. Swanson,which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/442,026 filed on Nov. 17,1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,664 entitled “Autoranging Analog To DigitalConversion Circuitry” by Eric J. Swanson, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application Serial No. 60/161,099 filed on Oct. 22, 1999entitled “Programmable Gain Preamplifier” by Eric J. Swanson. Thisapplication is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.09/429,001 filed on Oct. 29, 1999 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,369,740 entitled“Programmable Gain Preamplifier Coupled To An Analog To DigitalConverter” by Eric J. Swanson, the disclosures all of which are beingincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to analog to digital conversion systems and moreparticularly autoranging analog to digital conversion systems.

BACKGROUND

Analog to digital converters (ADCs) may be used to convert a variety oftypes of analog input signals to digital outputs. Often, the analogsignal requires some analog preprocessing before converting the analogsignal to a digital signal. For example, the analog signal may first beamplified by a preamplifier. A common application for preamplifiers isto amplify low voltage level signals which are to be processed by ADCsthat operate at higher voltage levels. For example, a preamplifier maybe used to amplify a transducer output (a thermocouple output, straingauge output, thermistor output, etc.) prior to processing thetransducer output in the ADC. Transducer signals often are amplifiedbecause most transducers produce only low voltage outputs while the ADCmay operate at a significantly higher voltage range. For example, athermocouple may provide an output signal having a range of 2.5 mV whilean ADC utilized to convert the thermocouple output into a digital signalmay operate at a 2.5V full scale voltage. Therefore, a preamplifier maybe utilized to amplify the transducer output prior to processing theoutput signal with the ADC. Because the ADC may have a relatively highnoise density, the use of a preamplifier reduces the ADC's output noisewhen that noise is input-referred to the preamplifier input (i.e., thenoise at the signal processing circuitry output is divided by the gain).However, the use of a preamplifier typically has a dynamic rangedrawback since improved low end dynamic range is provided at the expenseof high end dynamic range. It is thus desirable to provide apreamplifier configuration which avoids high end dynamic range loss.

The amount of amplification required to be provided by the preamplifiermay vary depending upon the transducer output characteristics. Thus, aprogrammable preamplifier which may be programmed to different gainvalues is desirable so that a single preamplifier may be used with avariety of input voltage signals. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical prior artanalog to digital conversion system which includes an analog input 100,a programmable preamplifier 110, an ADC 112 and a digital output 104. Insuch a system the gain of the preamplifier 110 may be user programmableby supplying a user defined gain setting input 111 depending upon whattype of analog source is utilized. The system of FIG. 1 may beimplemented monolithically with a serial control port provided toreceive the gain setting input. Such serial control ports generally donot operate synchronously with the ADC sampling frequency and alsooperate at a lower word rate than the sampling frequency.

The analog to digital conversion systems may also be configured to becoupled to a plurality of different analog sources. For example, thepreamplifier input may be switchably coupled to a plurality of differenttransducer inputs and each transducer may have a different outputvoltage characteristic. In such circumstances it is desirable to adjustthe preamplifier gain depending upon the signal level presented at thepreamplifier input. Whether one analog source or a plurality of sourcesare coupled to the preamplifier, the prior art techniques generallyrequire the user to know the range of the analog input signal and userintervention to set the gain is required.

Typical preamplifier configurations are comprised of operationalamplifiers (opamp) and resistors. FIG. 1A illustrates a typicalpreamplifier configuration. As shown in FIG. 1A, the preamplifier 1 iscomprised of an opamp 3 and resistors R1-R4. By selectively closing oneof the switches Sa, Sb, and Sc, the gain of the preamplifier may beprogrammably set. Ideally the closed switch would provide negligibleresistance and the gain at the opamp output Vopamp/Vin would beindependent of the switch resistance. However, because the switch is notideal and adds some gain error due to its resistance, the preamplifieroutput may chosen at the nodes Vout1, Vout2 or Vout3 so that any errorcaused by the switch resistance is negated. Thus, it can be shown thatfor equal values for resistors R1-R4 if Sa is closed Vout1/Vin=2, if Sbis closed Vout2/Vin=3, and if Sc is closed Vout3/Vin=4 (i.e., the gainequals X, where the number of resistors between Vout and the invertinginput of the opamp is X−1).

Monolithic implementations of circuits such as that shown in FIG. 1A mayhave gain drifts with temperature in excess of 4 or 5 ppm (parts permillion) per degree Celsius. The predominate mechanism producing suchdrift may be the ratio drift of the gain setting resistor strings. Oneapproach to minimize the ratio drift of the resistor string is to removefrom resistor string contacts from the resistor string current path.Such a technique is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,319 to Kerth, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Thepreamplifier of U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,319 is not, however, easily adaptedto provide a preamplifier configuration which avoids high end dynamicrange loss as discussed above.

A variety of types of analog to digital converters (“ADCs”) are commonlyemployed for converting analog input signals to a digital output. Onetype of ADC is a successive approximation ADC. A switched capacitorarray is one type of successive approximation ADC. Switched capacitorarray ADCs are known in the art as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,863 toGray et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,225 to Welland et al., in U.S. Pat.No. 5,006,853 to Kiriaki, and in Lee et al., “A Self-Calibrating 15 BitCMOS A/D Converter,” IEEE JSSC, December 1984, p. 813-819. Switchedcapacitor approaches generally provide good temperature drift and agingcharacteristics.

Another type of successive approximation ADC is a switched resistorcapacitor array ADC. Switched resistor capacitor array ADCs are known inthe art as shown in Fotouhi, “High-Resolution Successive ApproximationAnalog To Digital Conversion Techniques In MOS Integrated Circuits”Dissertation, University of California, 1980, p. 86-93. The switchedresistor capacitor array ADC, however, suffers from inaccuracies in theresistor array, resistor temperature drift, and resistor aging drift,all of which may be substantial.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention provides a solution to one or more of thedisadvantages and deficiencies described above. In one broad respect, anautoranging analog to digital conversion system is provided. The systemmay include a digitally programmable preamplifier for amplifying adifference between an analog input and an estimate of the analog input.The preamplifier may be coupled to an analog to digital converter forconverting the preamplifier output to a digital signal. The system mayalso include digital domain predictor or estimation logic fordetermining an optimum gain and analog input estimate for a given analoginput. Multiple signal input channels may be coupled to the analog todigital conversion system. The autoranging estimations may be performedon a sample by sample basis or a channel by channel basis or both.

In another broad aspect, the system includes a backup conversiontechnique. Backup conversions may be obtained by utilizing separatebackup converters, utilizing the estimation converter, or by utilizingthe main system converter. The backup conversions may be obtainedutilizing a backup conversion technique that includes the use ofestimation signals. Alternatively the backup conversions may be obtainedutilizing backup conversion techniques that are non-predictive innature. The backup conversions may provide robustness to the conversionsystem by providing digital outputs when the main data conversion pathmay have errors such as occur with a converter overrange event.Utilizing backup conversions may accommodate less accurate estimationtechniques and allow for greater preamplifier gain settings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a prior art system for converting an analog signal to adigital signal.

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary prior art programmable gain preamplifier.

FIGS. 2, 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D are exemplary analog to digital conversionsystems for utilizing the autoranging techniques disclosed herein.

FIG. 2E is a conceptual block diagram for implementing estimationcontrol logic.

FIG. 2F is a conceptual circuit design for implementing a programmablegain preamplifier.

FIGS. 2G-2J are exemplary analog to digital conversion systems utilizingthe backup conversion techniques disclosed herein.

FIGS. 3A-3F illustrate one circuit design for implementing theprogrammable gain preamplifier disclosed herein.

FIGS. 4A-4B illustrate another circuit design for implementing theprogrammable gain preamplifier disclosed herein.

FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate a technique for providing contacts to theresistor strings of the programmable gain preamplifiers disclosedherein.

FIG. 5E illustrates a portion of a programmable gain preamplifier whichmay utilize the techniques for providing contacts out of a resistorstring current path.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate switching networks which may be utilized withthe programmable gain preamplifiers disclosed herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates a technique for coupling opamps to one of theresistor strings of the programmable gain preamplifiers disclosedherein.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate prior art switched weighted capacitor arrayADCs.

FIG. 10 illustrates a prior art switched resistor array and capacitorarray ADC.

FIGS. 11A-11H illustrate the operation of a switched resistor array andcapacitor array ADC for use with the present inventions.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method for using a calibration ADC to calibrate aresistor string.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a variety of different analog inputlevels may be supplied to an analog to digital conversion system. Basedupon the analog input signal (Ain), the system automatically adjusts aprogrammable preamplifier gain to generate an amplified analog signal.The gain that may be applied to the analog input is maximized by firstsubtracting an estimate Ain′ from the Ain analog input signal and thenapplying the gain to the difference Ain−Ain′. An amplified signalG(Ain−Ain′) is then applied to an analog to digital converter. Bysubtracting the estimate signal Ain′, the gain G that can be applied fora given analog input may be increased without overranging the analog todigital converter. Further, the range of the amplified analog signal isoptimized so as to provide improved ADC output noise and dynamic rangecharacteristics. Thus, an autoranging analog to digital conversionsystem is provided. Based upon an analog input signal, the autorangingsystem automatically generates an estimate analog signal and a gain sothat an optimized range for the signal provided to the ADC may beautomatically provided. The various elements of the system may becalibrated and relatively stable so as to provide a highly accurateoutput.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of an analog to digital conversionsystem 240 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, ananalog to digital conversion system 240 is provided for processing ananalog input 202 (Ain) through a programmable gain preamplifier block204 which in turn provides an amplified signal 212 to an analog todigital converter 214 which has a digital output 216 (Dout). Such asystem may be utilized, for example, when converting an analog inputsignal of a transducer to a digital output signal. It will be recognizedthat as used herein, the coupling of the preamplifier to the analog todigital converter may include no intermediate elements or may includefilters or other analog processing blocks, and in either case thepreamplifier will be considered to be coupled to the analog to digitalconverter. Further, some intermediate blocks such as filters may beconsidered to be a portion of the preamplifier, the analog to digitalconverter or both. It will be recognized that many types ofpreamplifiers and many types of ADCs may be utilized with the system,including for example the programmable preamplifiers and ADCs discussedbelow. Other types of circuits may also be used, for example the ADC maybe a delta-sigma ADC, flash ADC, successive approximation ADC,resistor-capacitor array ADC, switched weighted capacitor ADC etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the programmable gain preamplifier may beconceptualized as a subtraction block 208 and a gain block 210. Thesubtraction block 208 subtracts the Ain′ 206 input from the Ain 202input. Thus the output of the entire preamplifier block is G(Ain−Ain′),where G is the gain of gain block 210. The Ain′ 206 signal may be anestimation of the Ain 202 signal. An estimation control block 211provides the estimation signal 206 and a gain control signal 207. Asused herein an estimation signal may be a signal that is an actualestimation of another signal or may be a signal that has a knownrelationship to the actual estimation of another signal. The knownrelationship may be a mathematical function, may be the result ofcorrelation tables, or may be the result of other mapping functions.

The Ain′ 206 estimation signal may be generated by any of a variety ofmethods that provide an analog estimate (or some known function of theestimate) of the Ain 202 signal. The estimation signal 206 may besupplied from the estimation control block 211 as either an analogsignal or a digital signal. If the estimation control block 211 suppliesa digital Ain′ signal to the preamplifier, the preamplifier block 204may include a digital to analog converter (DAC) 205 as shown in FIG. 2A.Though shown in FIG. 2A within the preamplifier block 204, the DAC 205may be construed to be a portion of the preamplifier block 204, may beconstrued to be a portion of the estimation control block 211 or may beconstrued to be a stand alone DAC. Compared to the resolution of thesystem, the resolution of the DAC used to provide the estimate signalmay be relatively low, however, the relatively few DAC levels should behighly stable and calibrated to the full accuracy of the conversionsystem. Thus, in one exemplary a 20 bit analog to digital conversionsystem, the benefits of applying a gain to Ain−Ain′ may be obtained withonly a six bit Ain′ signal provided to a six bit DAC. Further, theunpredictability and/or the speed of changes in Ain may result in erroror inaccuracies in the estimation Ain′ that may control the overallsystem performance more than an increased resolution in the DAC. Theprogrammable gain preamplifier 207 may be a digitally programmable gainpreamplifier, and thus, signal 207 may be a digital input to thepreamplifier.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the estimation control block 211 may receive aninput 213. In the embodiment of FIG. 2B, the input 213 is provided fromthe digital output 216. The estimation control block 211 may create theestimation control signals 209 based at least in part on previous sampledata at Dout line 216. The estimation generation techniques may beperformed in the digital domain. For example, the estimation controlsignals 209 may digitally control the preamplifier block 204 to generatethe appropriate gain and estimation input Ain′ to achieve theG(Ain−Ain′) function within the preamplifier circuit. The operation ofan exemplary digitally programmable preamplifier which may accomplishthis function is described below in more detail. Other programmablepreamplifiers, however, may be utilized.

In another embodiment, the input 213 to the estimation control block maybe generated from the analog input 202. As shown in FIG. 2C, the analoginput 202 may be provided to an analog to digital converter 231 thatgenerates a digital signal that is provided as the estimation controlblock input 213. As is described in more detail below, the ADC 231 maybe an estimation ADC having a lower resolution than the main ADC 214.

The estimation signal Ain′ may be generated by any of a number ofestimation or predictor techniques. In one approach, the digital input213 provided to the estimation control block may merely be reconvertedback to an analog signal through the use of a digital to analogconverter (DAC) to generate the Ain′ signal. As mentioned above, the DACmay be constructed as part of the estimation control block 211 or may beimplemented within the preamplifier. The technique of merelyreconverting the digital output may be particularly suitable forgenerating the estimation signals if the analog input Ain 202 onlyvaries slowly. If this technique is used with the configuration of FIG.2B, the previous output for a given signal channel provides anestimation Ain′ for the next sample. Alternatively, more advancedprediction methods such as statistical methods, linear predictionmethods, etc. may be utilized. Such methods may utilize complex digitaldomain algorithms based on an input's previous history to estimate orpredict the next input sample. The most desirable method chosen forgenerating the gain and the estimated input Ain′ 206 be user applicationspecific depending upon the nature and characteristics expected at theAin 202 signal input. If the estimation of the Ain 202 signal isrelatively accurate, subtracting the estimated signal will allow forincreased gain in front of the ADC, and thus, result in an improveddynamic range at the ADC output.

The estimation control logic 211 may receive the input 213 as shown inFIG. 2E. The estimation control logic 211 may include a data monitorcontrol block which couples the data to a predictor processor 262 (theestimation logic may also be referred to as a predictor or predictorlogic). The predictor processor 262 provides the estimation controlsignals 209 and may be implemented as a microprocessor, microcontroller,an embedded RISC processor, etc. Programmable memory 263 (for example,flash memory, EEPROM, fuse programmable memory, etc.) may be associatedwith the predictor processor 262. The estimation or prediction algorithmmay be implemented in the predictor processor under software control.This software control may allow a user the flexibility to implement theuser's own product specific estimation or prediction algorithms.Additional product specific flexibility may be implemented through theprogrammable memory 263. For example, the programmable memory may setsystem defaults such as default gain when a prediction can not beobtained, default gain for a specific channel, etc.

The analog to digital conversion system 240 of FIGS. 2-2C may beimplemented in a single monolithic integrated circuit. The singlemonolithic integrated circuit may include some or all of the systemcomponents discussed herein including digital domain estimationcircuitry, channel multiplexers, switching circuitry to selectexternal/internal gain and estimation sources, preamplifiers, mainconversion ADCs, estimation ADCs, backup ADCs calibration ADCs etc.Alternatively, some of the circuitry and functions may be performed offchip from the rest of the analog to digital conversion system. Forexample, some of the functions of the estimation control logic 211 maybe performed off chip. In such a case, a high speed digital input portmay be provided to the integrated circuit to provide the digital domainestimation inputs (Ain′ and gain).

By completely integrating the conversion system 240 or integrating mostof the circuitry and providing the estimation data through a high speeddigital input port, the gain and Ain′ estimation may be updated on asample by sample basis. Thus, whereas prior art programmable gainsystems may be limited to relatively slow changes to the gain settings,the system disclosed herein may be utilized on a sample by sample basis.Providing high speed updates to the estimation and gain settings(whether from an internal integrated source or from an external source)enables the analog to digital conversion system disclosed herein tomaximize the ADC dynamic range benefits described herein. The high speeddigital input port for providing external estimation control signals mayoperate at the same rate as and synchronously with the samplingfrequency of the analog to digital converter. For example, typical 16bit or more converters may sample the input at frequencies of 1 MHz orless. The digital input port may provide 12 bits of data (6 gain bitsand 6 Ain′ estimate bits) at this same frequency. For convertersoperating at higher frequencies, the data at the digital input port maybe provided at a correspondingly higher data rate.

The analog to digital conversion system may be coupled to a singleanalog input source or may be coupled to multiple analog input sourcesthrough a multiplexer or switching circuit. The analog input sources mayhave varying input voltage ranges. Moreover, the input voltage range ofany one analog input source may change over time. As shown in FIG. 2D, aplurality of different analog inputs 100 (Ain1-Ain5) may be multiplexedto the preamplifier 204 through switches 130. As used herein, eachanalog input may be considered to be a separate signal channel. As shownin FIG. 2D, the switches 130 may be integrated within the analog todigital conversion system 240. Alternatively, the switches 130 may beimplemented outside of the integrated conversion system and a singleanalog input may be provided to the system. In either case, the analogto digital conversion system 240 may still operate to convert data frommultiple channels.

As mentioned above, multiple signal channels may be multiplexed to theanalog to digital conversion system 240. Any given estimation algorithmmay be implemented across the multiple channels in a variety of manners.For example, each channel may treated separately such that the priorhistory analyzed to estimate the next sample for a given channel is onlythe history for that channel. Thus, as the analog to digital conversionsystem is multiplexed between different signal channels, the history foreach channel may be separately collected and stored. When a givenchannel is selected again as in input, the estimation signal may then bebased upon the past history of that channel. The history utilized may bemerely the last sample for the given channel or a collection of multiplepast samples. Alternatively, the estimation for a given channel may bebased upon the last sample provided from any channel or a history of acollection of samples irrespective of which channel the data iscollected from. Such a technique may be suited for systems in which arelationship exists between the channels. In one such system, multiplechannels may monitor the same signal generating source (for example ifmultiple temperature transducers monitor the same temperature source).Thus, the estimation system may operate on a sample by sample basis or achannel by channel basis or a mixture of both.

Thus, the prediction techniques may be based merely on the last sampleor a last sample predictor technique. Further the next sample predictionmay be based upon the historical data for multiple prior samples. Forexample, the next sample prediction may be based upon a linearcombination of past samples (a linear prediction technique). In anotherexample, a statistical analysis of the historical data may rely upon themean, standard deviation, rejection of data outside of three sigmalimits, etc. to statistically predict the next sample value (astatistical prediction technique). For example, statistical methods maybe utilized when the analog input signal contains a significant amountof noise such as white gaussian noise. Though a prediction of the actualvalue of a next sample may be unattainable due to the noise, astatistical prediction may provide a relatively accurate range withinwhich the next sample will fall. The estimation signal and gain appliedto the preamplifier for the next sample may be set accordingly so thatan overranging condition of the ADC will not occur for any input signalwithin the predicted range. The benefits in noise reductioncharacteristics and dynamic range characteristics of the autorangingtechnique may still be obtained by providing an estimation signals basedon an estimated range. Thus, even in circumstances where an accurate andexact estimate is hard to obtain, estimation signals may still beprovided and the benefits of the techniques disclosed herein may stillbe obtained. As further noted above, any of the estimation/predictiontechniques utilized may be implemented upon a channel by channel basisor independent of channels depending upon the specific user applicationand the nature of the signal channels. Based upon the analog input data,therefore, the gain applied to the analog signal may be automaticallyadjusted to provide the optimal range input voltage range to the ADC sothat the conversion characteristics may be improved.

The autoranging system may also receive external user suppliedestimation or prediction inputs. For example, the integrated circuitsolution described above may include external estimation inputs providedat an external estimate input pin. The system may be configured so thatthe estimation signals utilized are selectable between the externallysupplied estimation signals or the internally generated estimationsignals. Moreover, the system may be configured such that no internalestimation or prediction logic is utilized and all the estimationsignals are determined by an external source and supplied to theremaining integrated circuitry through the external prediction inputs.

If a highly accurate estimation or prediction algorithm can beestablished (for example if the signal pattern is well known), theestimate Ain′ may be generated directly from the previous sample data.In other circumstances, it may be beneficial to produce an estimationconversion of the analog input data and use the estimation conversionoutput directly or in combination with a prediction algorithm togenerate the Ain′ estimate.

In one embodiment, the Ain′ estimate may be generated by firstperforming an estimation conversion on the analog input signal Ain.Then, using the estimation conversion digital output of the Ain inputsignal an estimation signal Ain′ may be determined by using a digitaldomain predictor (if the analog input signal is slow moving, the Ain′estimate may merely be the digital output of the estimation conversion).The estimation signal Ain′ may then be utilized to perform a secondconversion (or main conversion) of the G(Ain−Ain′) preamplifier outputto provide the ADC digital output.

A wide range of ADC techniques may be utilized to perform the estimationconversion (or first conversion) and the main conversion (or secondconversion). For example, the same ADC may be used for both theestimation and the main conversions. The estimation conversion may beimplemented at the full resolution of the ADC as is implemented for themain conversion. However, utilizing the full resolution of the ADC forthe estimation conversion will limit the throughput of the system as thetime necessary to perform two full conversions will be required.Further, performing a full resolution estimation conversion allows theanalog input Ain additional time to move away from the estimation.

In another approach in which the same ADC is still utilized for bothconversions, the estimation conversion may be performed at less than thefull ADC resolution. Thus, the estimation conversion may be performedonly to a resolution of some limited number of MSBs. This estimationconversion may then be utilized to determine the Ain′ estimate. In oneexample, if a 16 bit ADC is utilized for the estimation and mainconversions, the estimation conversion may be performed to only the 6MSBs resolution. Thus, the throughput may be increased as the time forfull resolution conversion of the estimate conversion will not berequired. An exemplary ADC for use in such circumstances may be asuccessive approximation ADC. Successive approximation ADCs such asswitched capacitor array ADCs and resistor and capacitor array ADCs aredescribed below. The successive approximation ADC may utilize both roughand fine comparators as further discussed below, and the estimationconversion may be performed to a resolution that only uses the roughcomparator or could be performed to a resolution that uses both therough and fine comparators.

The estimation and main conversions need not be performed with the samepreamplifier gain. Thus, the estimation conversions of the analog inputsignal Ain may be performed with a preamplifier gain G=1 (i.e., thepreamplifier may be bypassed). The preamplifier may then be digitallyprogrammed for the appropriate gain and estimation input voltagesettings. The second or main conversion may then be performed utilizingthe gain and estimation input voltage settings to provide a fullresolution analog to digital conversion representing a conversion ofG(Ain−Ain′).

Rather than utilizing the same ADC for both the estimate and mainconversions, an extra estimation ADC may also be utilized. Thoughadditional circuitry is required, a dedicated estimation ADC may allowfor increased throughput as compared to the use of a single ADC andoffer an overrange backup conversion at the same time. The estimationADC may be implemented to a full resolution of the main conversion ADCor may be implemented to only a resolution of some set of the MSBssimilar to as described above. Thus, an estimation ADC having a lowerresolution than the main conversion ADC may be provided. The estimationADC may be continually operating to provide the MSBs necessary to setthe preamplifier gain and the Ain′ estimate. Such a technique improvesthe throughput over the approach of using the same ADC for both theestimate and the main conversions. Because the estimation ADC isoperated at the lower gain level, the estimation ADC may also performthe overrange backup function described above. Therefore, the additionalADC may perform both estimation and backup functions simultaneously.

The separate estimation ADC may be an ADC that provides fast conversionsin order to improve the system throughput. The faster the estimationconverter is, the less time that will elapse between the sampling of theestimation ADC and the application of the estimation to the Ain analoginput (i.e., the Ain−Ain′ calculation). Further, the less time thatelapses between estimation sample and the generation of the Ain′estimate, the less time that the analog input Ain has to move away fromthe Ain′ estimate. A flash ADC may provide speed improvements as flashADCs provide higher throughputs than successive approximation ADCs. Aflash ADC, may however, require more power.

The use of a no gain conversion for the estimation conversion providesadditional benefits relating to overranging conditions. If the estimategenerated is inaccurate, the gain selected for the main conversion mayoverrange the ADC. When an overrange is detected, the output of the mainconversion can be set to default back to the value of the estimateconversion. Though the estimate conversion may be a lower resolution,the output data of the estimate conversion may still be more accuratethan the main conversion since an overrange condition occurred duringthe main conversion.

The use of an estimation conversion thus also generates a backupconversion that may be utilized in case the high gain conversion systemoverranges. This may be conceptualized as a high gain analog to digitalconversion system operating concurrently with a low gain backup analogto digital conversion system. As mentioned above, the same ADC thatprovides the main conversions may be utilized with no gain applied tothe input signal (gain G=1) to provide a lower resolution estimate.Similarly the same ADC that provides the main conversions may beutilized with no gain applied to the input to provide a lower resolutionbackup. Alternatively, a separate backup ADC may be utilized or asdescribed below a separate estimate/backup ADC may be utilized. With aseparate backup ADC utilized, the MSBs of the backup conversion mayprovide the estimate conversion. The separate backup ADC may convert theMSBs and provide that result to the estimation circuitry and thenproceed with completing the conversion of the LSBs to obtain the fullbackup conversion. Thus, three types of conversions may be provided, anestimate conversion, a backup conversion and the main conversion. Threeseparate converters may be utilized to perform these operations orlesser number of physical converters may be utilized, with someconverter performing multiple types of conversions (for example oneconverter performing both the estimate and backup conversions or oneconverter performing the estimate and main conversions, etc.).

As with the estimation conversion, the backup conversion may be at alower resolution then the main conversion. Though the backup convertermay be the same resolution as the main conversion, such high backupconversion resolution may unnecessarily utilize power and circuit area.In one embodiment, the main conversion may be performed at a 20 bitresolution and if the attempt to obtain a 20 bit resolution overranges,then the system may utilize a 16 bit resolution backup conversion. Evenwith the decreased resolution, the backup conversion system may providean overall relatively accurate system as long as the number ofoverranging incidents are kept relatively low. For example, if the 20bit main conversion system having a 16 bit backup conversion has anoverranging rate of approximately 1%, the bit resolution of the overallconversion system will drop by approximately 1 bit to a 19 bitresolution system. Thus, two ADCs of different resolution may beoperating to perform backup and main conversions. The two ADCs may beimplemented successively or concurrently and may be just differentportions of the same ADC circuitry. Each portion of the ADC may beselected to give a different resolution. As is described in more detailbelow, it may be desirable to provide for amplifier headroom in thepresence of gained amplifier offsets and estimation errors by limitingthe range of the ADC VOUT so as to limit the probability of overranging.

As discussed above, three types of conversions may be provided, anestimate conversion, a backup conversion and the main conversion. FIG.2G illustrates one embodiment of a conversion system utilizing threeseparate converters. As shown in FIG. 2G, an estimation conversionsub-system 294, a main conversion sub-system 295 and a backup conversionsub-system 296 are provided.

The estimation conversion sub-system 294 may include an ADC 231. In oneembodiment the ADC 231 may be a flash ADC so as to provide a fastconversion result. An output 287 of the flash ADC may be provided toestimation circuitry 286, for example a digital estimation processor.The digital estimation circuitry 286 may utilize any of the variousestimation techniques described herein or other techniques as would beunderstood by those skilled in the art. The output 287 of the ADC 231 isthus utilized to obtain digital estimation signals 288 and 290. Thus,similar to the system as described above with reference to FIG. 2C, aconversion system 240 may use an additional ADC 231 that generates adigital signal from the analog input Ain 202 for generating a digitalinput for use in the estimation process.

The main conversion sub-system 295 may include DAC1 205, subtractionblock 208, gain block 210 having a gain G, and main ADC 214. The DAC1205 receives a digital estimation signal 288 from the digital estimationcircuitry 286. The elements of the main conversion sub-system may thusoperate in the manner described elsewhere herein to provide a mainconversion result 272 by utilizing estimation techniques. The backupconversion may include DAC2 292, subtraction block 293, gain block 278having a gain G′, and backup ADC 280. The DAC2 292 receives a digitalestimation signal 290 from the digital estimation circuitry 286. Theelements of the backup conversion sub-system may thus operate in themanner described elsewhere herein to provide a backup conversion result276 by utilizing estimation techniques. In the example shown, both thebackup ADC 280 and the main ADC 214 are 16 bit ADCs. Other embodimentsmay be utilized, however, in which the bit accuracy of the main ADC 214and the backup ADC 280 are not identical.

As shown in FIG. 2G, both the main conversion sub-system 295 and thebackup conversion sub-system 296 utilize estimation techniques. Thus,the overall system of FIG. 2G provides a system having a main conversionpath that utilizes estimation (or predictive) techniques and a backupconversion path that utilizes estimation (or predictive) techniques.

When considering noise implications it can be approximated that highresolution DACs and amplifiers with gains greater than 100 requirehigher estimation accuracy with little noise benefit. In one embodiment,a system having a maximum gain=32 in gain block 210 and a five bit DAC205 may be utilized. In this case, because only five bits need to beprovided from the ADC 231, a flash ADC may be well suited for ADC 231.

In some applications a single analog to digital converter may betime-multiplexed to provide the functions of both main ADC 214 andbackup ADC 280. In other applications, increased throughput may berealized with separate main and backup ADC structures. Development costsand risks may be reduced if the backup ADC 280 replicates the sameproven design and layout as the main ADC 214.

In order to prevent the backup ADC 280 from also overranging, it isgenerally assumed that the gain G′ of the backup gain block 278 will beless than the gain of the gain block 210. For example, the gain G′ maybe set to be a set factor less than the gain G, for example G′=G/2 maygenerally be suitable if the main converter overranges 0.1% of the time.The gain G′ may be programmable or the gain may be merely set at fixedvalue. The gain G′ may even be selected to a value of one, and in suchcase the backup gain block 278 may not be necessary. The need for ahigher backup G′ may be reduced by ensuring higher estimation accuracyor reducing the main gain G so that overrange events occur less often.However, reducing the main gain G results in poorer noise performanceand even improved estimation predictions may not accommodate randomunpredictable input events.

In order to provide the same analog delay time between the analog inputAin 202 and the main ADC 214 and between the analog input Ain 202 andthe backup ADC 280, the gain block 278 may be designed to provide thenecessary delay. Alternatively, the any delay differences may bedigitally calibrated using digital correction techniques such as shownin U.S. Pat. No. 6,271,780 issued Aug. 7, 2001 to Gong et al.

Providing a high bit resolution backup conversion path reduces theconversion system requirements for the accuracy of the estimationprediction technique. Further, a relatively high gain may be chosen forthe main conversion gain block. In one example, a gain may be selectedthat results in use of the backup ADC for approximately 0.1% of theconversions. In addition, a programmable gain may be utilized for themain conversions such that gain is reduced after an overranging eventbut then the gain may be gradually increased to a higher value whileusing the backup ADC as protection against another overrange event ifthe gain increase results in another overrange event.

The embodiment of FIG. 2G illustrates just one technique for obtaining abackup conversion result. FIGS. 2H, 2I, and 2J illustrate other backuptechniques and it will be recognized that still other configurations maybe utilized.

FIG. 2H illustrates an embodiment of a conversion system 240 thatimplements the additional ADC 231 to provide both estimation results andbackup conversion results. As shown in FIG. 2G, the ADC 231 may be aflash ADC. The output 270 of the ADC 231 may be provided to a DAC 205 asshown. Similar to as described with reference to FIG. 2A, the DAC 205may be construed to be a portion of the preamplifier block 204, may beconstrued to be a portion of an estimation control block or may beconstrued to be a stand alone DAC. In FIG. 2H, the DAC 205 provides anestimation signal Ain′ 206 to the preamplifier block 204.

As described above, the ADC 231 may be a flash ADC so as to provide afast conversion that results in less time elapsing between the samplingof the estimation ADC 231 and the application of the estimation to theAin analog input (the Ain−Ain′ calculation). However, flash ADCquantization is generally too crude to utilize as a backup converter forhigh-resolution applications. If more accurate converters are utilizedfor ADC 231, the estimation conversion of the ADC 231 may also beutilized to provide a backup conversion that may be utilized insituations where the main conversion path overranges. As shown in FIG.2H, a backup digital output Doutbackup 272 is provided from the ADC 231.It will be recognized, however, that the more accurate estimationconversions may result in a decrease in the speed of the estimationconversion.

FIG. 2I illustrates another example of a conversion system utilizing aseparate backup converter. As shown in FIG. 2I, a digital estimationinput 274 is provided to the DAC 205. The estimation input 274 may bereceived from a flash ADC such as ADC 231 of FIG. 2G. The estimationinput 274 may alternatively be generated in any one of the mannersdescribed herein for generating estimation. As shown in FIG. 2I, theanalog input Ain 202 may be provided for main conversions throughpreamplifier block 204 and main conversion ADC 214. However, the analoginput Ain 202 may also be provided to a backup gain block 278 having again of G′. The backup gain block 278 may provide an output to a backupADC 280. The backup ADC 280 may provide the backup digital output 276.As shown in FIG. 2I, the backup conversion path does not utilize anestimation technique. Thus, FIG. 2I illustrates a system having a mainconversion path that is predictive and a backup conversion path that isnon-predictive.

FIG. 2J illustrates yet another embodiment in which both the mainconversion path and the backup conversion path may utilize theestimation techniques disclosed herein. As shown in FIG. 2I, a secondpreamplifier block 286 (similar to preamplifier block 204) may beutilized. Thus, a conversion system is provided in which both the mainconversion path and the backup conversion path utilize predictiveestimation techniques. In this manner a plurality of predictiveconversion paths are provided.

Preamplifier blocks 204 and 286 of FIG. 2J may receive estimationsignals Ain′ 282 and Ain′ 284. In one embodiment, estimation signalsAin′ 282 and Ain′ 284 may be the same estimation signal (derived usingany of the estimation techniques described herein). In such anembodiment, the gain of the backup gain block 278 may set lower than thegain of the main conversion gain block 210. Using this approach, thebackup conversion path would be less likely to result in an overrangingevent. Further, the embodiment of FIG. 2I is not limited to twopredictive conversion paths and more predictive paths could be utilized.For example, 6 predictive conversion paths may be utilized havingdifferent gain values, for example, G=1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32. Thepredictive conversion path allowing the highest gain (withoutoverranging) may be selected for main conversion use and the predictiveconversion paths having lower gain values may be utilized as backuppaths. Which predictive conversion path is utilized may be selected on asample by sample basis, or more preferably, on a longer term basis suchas by monitoring the results of a group of samples, for example 1000samples.

By In another embodiment utilizing the conversion system of FIG. 2J, thegain values utilized in the main conversion path and the backupconversion path may be the same, however, the estimation signals Ain′282 and Ain′ 284 may be different. In this case, utilizing two differentestimation techniques may reduce the likelihood of both conversion pathsoverranging at the same time. Again, this technique is not limited toonly two predictive conversion paths and more predictive conversionpaths may be utilized. In yet another embodiment, both the gain valuesand the estimation signals may be different between the main conversionpath and the backup conversion path.

No matter what embodiments of the plurality of predictive conversionpaths illustrated in FIG. 2J are utilized, the embodiments may becombined with yet another non-predictive conversion path. Thenon-predictive conversion path may be yet another backup conversion pathsimilar to the backup conversion path of FIG. 2I. Thus, if all thepredictive estimation conversion paths overranged, the thirdnon-predictive path may be utilized for backup conversions.

As described herein, a wide range of estimation techniques are providedand a wide range of backup conversion techniques are provided. Thespecific combinations of estimation techniques and backup conversiontechniques illustrate herein are not meant to be limiting and it will berecognized with the benefit of this disclosure that other combinationsmay be utilized. For example, the various features described with regardto one of the backup embodiments of FIGS. 2G-2J may be combinable withsome or all of the features described with regard to the other of theembodiments of FIGS. 2G-2J.

The autoranging techniques disclosed herein may be implemented with awide variety of preamplifier and ADC circuits. Exemplary preamplifiersand ADC circuits that may be particularly suited for use with theautoranging techniques are shown below. However, other preamplifiers andADC circuits may be utilized.

Also discussed below are a variety of calibration system techniques forcalibrating the various components of the analog to digital conversionsystem. As noted below, the calibration may be performed by correctingthe final output data of the system. This post conversion correction maybe accomplished by identifying the errors of the various componentscalibrated, and knowing these errors, adjusting the system outputaccordingly so as to compensate for the errors. Thus, post conversioncalibration tables may be established to digitally post conversioncorrect the overall system. As is discussed below, the analog path(i.e., the specific resistors, switches, opamps, etc. utilized toachieve the desired gain and Ain′ estimation) through the system mayvary depending upon the Ain′ estimate and gain G utilized. Dependingupon the analog path that is taken through the system, the required postconversion corrections will vary. In order to provide improved resultsover that provided by the integrated calibration system, a user may wantto track what analog path was utilized for a specific conversion. Toaccomplish this tracking, additional digital tag bits may be added tothe digital output of the analog to digital conversion system. Thus, theintegrated circuit output pin may include a digital data sample and tagbits that identify the system configuration used to generate thatsample. The system user may generate enhanced calibration tables thatfurther calibrate the system output depending upon the tag bit data.Thus, a unique tag bit word may be assigned to each analog path throughthe conversion system and this word may be provided at an output of theintegrated conversion system. The mapping of the analog paths to theindividual tag bits of a tag bit word may be performed in a variety ofmanners and is arbitrary. The user may then create additionalcalibration tables correlated to specific analog paths and theirassociated errors.

In addition to post conversion corrections, the output of the analog todigital conversion system may be provided in a volt format. Typicalanalog to digital conversion systems provide a multiple bit output where000 . . . 000 represents 0V and 111 . . . 111 represents the full scalereference voltage. Note that over the full analog input voltage of theconverter, every possible digital output word is produced. However, thedigital output of the present system may be converted as part of thepost conversion processing to a voltage format such as an IEEE floatingpoint standard format or a data format where one bit is a sign bit,another bit a 2V digit, another bit a 1V digit, another bit a 0.5Vdigit, another bit a 0.25V digit, etc. Thus, rather than having anoutput that is normalized to the ADC reference voltage, the output maybe directly provided as a base-2 representation of the input voltage.When using a 2.5V reference voltage, a 2.5V analog input will produce abase-2 output of 101000 . . . 000, resulting in many unutilized outputcodes (those between 1010000 . . . 000 and 1111111 . . . 111), but thisdisadvantage is offset by the advantage of providing output inconventional units. The post conversion logic for calibrations andvoltage conversions may be considered to be logic within the ADC block214 of the figures or may be considered to be additional logic locatedbetween the ADC block and the digital output 216.

A circuit for implementing the programmable gain preamplifier block 204of FIG. 2A is shown in FIG. 2F. The circuit of FIG. 2F operates as adifferential amplifier in which two opamps are provided with eachopamp's noninverting input utilized as an input to the differentialamplifier. Thus, the Ain 202 and Ain′ 206 signals are provided to thenoninverting inputs as shown. The resistors 220, 222, 224, and 226 maybe programmably set at the appropriate values to achieve the desiredgain. The configuration of FIG. 2F provides a differential amplifierhaving two opamps coupled in series with the inputs to the differentialamplifier provided at the noninverting inputs of each opamp. The outputof the first opamp is coupled to the inverting input of the second opamp(through a resistor) and the output of the differential amplifier isprovided at the output of the second opamp.

A programmable circuit for providing the functionality of the circuit ofFIG. 2F is shown in more detail in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3A, the Ain202 signal is provided to the opamp 300 (OPAMP2) at the noninvertinginput of the opamp. Opamp 306 (OPAMP1) is provided with an input voltage308 at its noninverting input. The noninverting input voltage 308 actsto implement the estimated signal Ain′, although as will be describedbelow, the input voltage 308 is only a function of the desired or actualestimated signal due to the manner in which the circuit of FIG. 3A isoperated. OPAMP is configured as an output buffer to provide thepreamplifier block output VOUT 322.

The noninverting input voltage 308 to OPAMP1 is provided from a firstresistor string 314. The resistor string 314 includes a plurality ofresistors R314-1-R314-8 which are connected between a reference voltageVref and ground. The resistor string 314 is coupled to the noninvertinginput voltage 308 through a plurality of switches S1. The output 302(Vout2) of OPAMP2, the inverting input 304 of OPAMP2, the output 312(Vout1) of OPAMP1, and the inverting input 310 of the OPAMP1 may all beswitchably coupled to a second resistor string 316 through a pluralityof switches S2. The resistor string 316 includes a plurality ofresistors R316-1-R316-8 as shown. For ease of illustration, the resistorstrings 314 and 316 are shown as being comprised of eight resistors.However, it will be recognized that resistor strings of other lengthsmay be utilized. In one embodiment, both resistor strings may becomposed of 64 resistors. All the resistors of both strings may beconfigured to have the same resistance and ideally both resistor stringsmay have similar layouts which are found empirically to minimizesystematic errors in the fabrication of the resistor strings.

As will be described in more detail below, resistor string 314 andswitches S1 form a digital to analog converter with an output on line308. By selectively closing one of the switches S1, a selected voltagemay be provided to the noninverting input of the OPAMP1. In this mannera voltage to implement the effect of subtracting the estimated Ain′signal is provided to the differential amplifier configuration. Thus,the first resistor string provides a voltage related to the estimatedinput. The second resistor string 316 is utilized to achieve a digitallyprogrammable gain by selectively closing switches S2 as described below.In the 64 resistor embodiment mentioned above, gain values from 1 to 32may be digitally programmed by selectively closing switches S2. SwitchesS3 connect the appropriate tap of the second resistor string 316 to line320 so that the desired output voltage will be provided to the bufferamplifier OPAMP3, as also described below.

FIGS. 3B-3F provide illustrative examples as to how the preamplifierblock of FIG. 3A is configured to provide a desired gain and Ain′estimation effect. The gain may be set by selectively coupling X−1resistors between the output Vout2 of OPAMP2 and the inverting input 304of OPAMP2, where the gain G=X. In the examples of FIGS. 3B-3F, theillustrative gain utilized is G=4. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3B, resistorsR316-8, R316-7, and R316-6 are coupled between the output Vout2 ofOPAMP2 and the inverting input 304 of OPAMP2. Similarly, three resistorsare coupled between the output Vout2 of OPAMP2 and the inverting input304 of OPAMP2 in FIGS. 3C-3F.

In each configuration of FIGS. 3B-3E, the noninverting input 308 isselectively coupled to one tap of the resistor string 314 depending uponthe estimated value for Ain′. Thus, for different Ain′ estimations, adifferent tap of the resistor string 314 may be provided to thenoninverting input 308. The inverting input 310 of OPAMP1 is thencoupled to the equivalent tap of resistor string 316. The configurationsfor different Ain′ estimations are shown in FIGS. 3B-3F. Thus as shownin FIG. 3B, the tap above resistor R314-3 is coupled to the noninvertinginput 308 of OPAMP1 (a voltage level of 3Vref/8) and likewise theinverting input 310 of OPAMP1 is coupled to the tap above resistorR316-3. As shown in FIG. 3C, the tap above resistor R314-2 is coupled tothe noninverting input 308 of OPAMP1 (a voltage level of 1Vref/4). Asshown in FIGS. 3D and 3E, the tap above resistor R314-1 is coupled tothe noninverting input 308 of OPAMP1 (a voltage level of 1Vref/8). Ineach configuration the corresponding tap of resistor string 316 isselectively coupled to the inverting input 310 of OPAMP1 as shown. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 3F, Ain′ is near zero, and the OPAMP1 output isnot used.

In each case shown in FIGS. 3B-3E, the output Vout1 of OPAMP1 is,selectively coupled to the resistor string 316 at a location of oneresistor above the location that the inverting input 310 is coupled. Theinverting input 304 of OPAMP2 is then coupled to the resistor string 316at a location of one resistor above the location that the Vout1 ofOPAMP1 is coupled. The output Vout2 of the OPAMP2 is then selectivelycoupled through a switch S2 to the resistor string 316 at theappropriate number of resistors above the inverting input 304 that isrequired to achieve the desired gain. A small voltage drop will resultthrough switch S2, however as explained in more detail below, thevoltage at the resistor string 316 will be independent of the switch S2resistance by virtue of negative feedback. As mentioned above, theillustrative gain of FIGS. 3B-3F is G=4, and thus, three resistors areplaced between the output Vout2 and the inverting input 304. In eachconfiguration of FIGS. 3B-3F, one of the switches S3 is closed so thatthe voltage at the resistor string 316 may be coupled to line 320 (thenoninverting input of OPAMP3). The overall preamplifier output (VOUT) ismerely the voltage at the noninverting input of OPAMP3.

The equations below show the transfer function for each of theconfigurations of FIGS. 3B-3F. It will be noted that the gain in theseembodiments was configured for G=4. $\quad \begin{matrix}{{{{FIG}.\quad 3}b\text{:}\quad {VOUT}} = {4\left( {{Ain} - {\frac{3}{8}\quad {Vref}}} \right)}} \\{{{{FIG}.\quad 3}C\text{:}\quad {VOUT}} = {4\left( {{Ain} - {\frac{9}{32}\quad {Vref}}} \right)}} \\{{{{FIG}.{\quad \quad}3}D\text{:}\quad {VOUT}} = {4\left( {{Ain} - {\frac{3}{16}\quad {Vref}}} \right)}} \\{{{{FIG}.{\quad \quad}3}E\text{:}\quad {VOUT}} = {4\left( {{Ain} - {\frac{3}{32}\quad {Vref}}} \right)}} \\{{{{FIG}.\quad 3}F\text{:}\quad {VOUT}} = {4{Ain}}}\end{matrix}\quad$

When compared to the generalized equation VOUT=G(Ain−Ain′), theequations above demonstrate the effective Ain′ that is obtained by usingthe configurations of FIGS. 3B-3F. A correlation or mapping table may beestablished to correlate the appropriate tap to be selected for a givengain level to achieve the desired effective Ain′ estimation voltage. Itis noted that the voltage at the noninverting input 308 is not theactual Ain′ estimation voltage, but rather the effective Ain′ voltagethat is obtained is dependent upon the gain level selected and thevoltage at the noninverting input 308. The general equation whichcharacterizes the preamplifier is:${VOUT} = {{GAin} - {\left( {G - 1} \right)\quad {Vref}\quad \left( \frac{1 + n}{N} \right)}}$

where N is the number of resistors in the resistor string 314 and n isthe tap number that is coupled to the noninverting input 308 of OPAMP1(i.e., in FIG. 3B the tap coupled to the noninverting input is the tapabove resistor R314-3 and thus n=3).

The preamplifier circuit of FIG. 3A may be readily calibrated tocalculate the gain and offset of the amplifier topology. Because theresistor strings 314 and 316 will have some resistance variations anderrors, the resistor strings may first be calibrated to a relativelyhigh precision (for example 20 bit precision). The resistor string 314may be calibrated with a dc accurate delta sigma ADC. For example, a 6bit resistor string (64 resistors) may be calibrated with a 20 bit deltasigma ADC. The calibrated resistance values of the resistor string 314may then be used in the resistor string 316 calibration. Using thecalibrated resistor values of the resistor string 314, the preamplifiercalibration may then be performed by recognizing that VOUT is a linearfunction of Ain for a given Ain′ and that this equation may be describedby a gain variable and an offset variable. Two different known values ofAin (provided by the resistor string 314) may then be used to generatetwo different VOUT values (VOUT being measured accurately, for examplewith the same 20 bit delta sigma ADC used to calibrate the resistorstring 314). Knowing VOUT for two different Ain values allows the linearequation to be solved to obtain the gain and offset values. Eachpreamplifier network topology (i.e., all allowable combinations of tapconnections) may have unique gain and offset calibration values. Thus,the calibration may be performed for every combination of gain G and theallowable input opamp tap connections.

In order to provide for amplifier headroom in the presence of gainedamplifier offsets and estimation error, it may be desirable to limit theswing of VOUT. Thus, for example, VOUT may be limited to a range ofVref/4 to 3Vref/4 (half of the ADC range). The corresponding limits onthe input Ain are thus: $\quad \begin{matrix}{{{Lower}\quad {Limit}\text{:}\quad {Ain}} = {\frac{Vref}{4G} + {\left( \frac{G - 1}{G} \right)\quad {Vref}\quad \left( \frac{1 + n}{N} \right)}}} \\{{{Upper}\quad {Limit}\text{:}\quad {Ain}} = {\frac{3{Vref}}{4G} + {\left( \frac{G - 1}{G} \right)\quad {Vref}\quad \left( \frac{1 + n}{N} \right)}}}\end{matrix}\quad$

It will be recognized that the swing limits shown above for VOUT aremerely exemplary and other limits may be utilized, for example only ¼ ofthe ADC range may be allocated for offsets.

An alternative preamplifier configuration which may be utilized toobtain the generalized functionality of VOUT=G(Ain−Ain′) is shown inFIGS. 4A-4B. The embodiment of FIG. 4A is similar to the embodiment ofFIG. 3A except for the addition of OPAMP4 which has its output 406 andinverting input 404 coupled to the bottom of resistor string 316. Thenoninverting input 402 of the OPAMP4 is coupled to an offset voltageVos. The OPAMP4 connection to the bottom of resistor string 316 may alsouse a force/sense arrangement similar to that described in FIG. 5Dbelow. In operation the configuration of FIG. 4A is switched differentlythan the configuration of FIG. 3A. In particular, the configuration ofFIG. 4A is operated with the switch S2 settings being independent of theswitch S1 settings (as opposed to the configurations of FIGS. 3B-3E inwhich the corresponding tap from resistor string 314 and resistor string316 are coupled to the noninverting input 308 and the inverting input310 of the OPAMP1 respectively). As described with respect to FIG. 4B,the configuration of FIG. 4A allows for a more ideal separation of theAin′ and G effects within the preamplifier.

In the configuration of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the Ain′ estimate is providedto the noninverting input 308 of OPAMP1. In the example of FIG. 4B, theAin′ estimate is (5/8)Vref The switches S2 are configured so that for adesired gain G=X, X−1 resistors are coupled between the OPAMP2 outputVout2 and the OPAMP2 inverting input 304. Similarly, the switches S2 areconfigured so that X−1 resistors are coupled between the OPAMP1 outputVout1 and the OPAMP4 input 404. A single resistor is coupled between theOPAMP1 output Vout1 and the OPAMP2 inverting input 304. The exampleshown in FIG. 4B demonstrates a configuration having resistor stringscomprised of 8 resistors and a gain=4. As with the configurations ofFIGS. 3A-3F, the resistor string length is shown for illustrativepurposes and an actual implementation may utilize other numbers ofresistors. For example, a preamplifier which is to operate with gains of1 to 32 may be configured with a resistor string 316 which has 64resistors. It will be recognized that other resistor string lengths maybe utilized to achieve more or less gain options or voltage levels forthe noninverting input 308. Moreover, the lengths of the resistorstrings 314 and 316 are not required to be the same.

The generalized equation that characterizes the circuitry of FIGS. 4Aand 4B is:

 VOUT=Vos+G(Ain−Ain′)

The optimum Vos value may be Vref/2 if the ADC coupled to thepreamplifier converts from 0 to Vref. In order for the OPAMP1 of FIGS.4A and 4B to operate properly, the output of OPAMP1 should be greaterthan a minimum, Vmin, where Vmin allows some output stage headroom(typically 100-150 mV) above the negative supply rail. Solving therelationship between Vout1 and Ain′ demonstrates that:${Ain}^{\prime} > {\frac{Vref}{2N} + {{Vmin}\quad \left( \frac{N - 1}{N} \right)}}$

The calibration techniques discussed above may also be utilized forcalibrating the circuitry of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

It will be recognized from the discussion above and FIGS. 4A and 4B thatthe inputs Ain and Ain′ may be switched such that the Ain signal iscoupled to OPAMP1's noninverting input 308 and the Ain′ estimationsignal is coupled to OPAMP2's noninverting input 202. Switching theinputs of FIG. 4A results in a change in the sign of the preamplifiers'gained difference (the G(Ain−Ain′) component of the preamplifieroutput). The advantages and benefits of the disclosed preamplifierstructures and techniques will still be obtained.

The choice between the use of the preamplifier configurations of FIGS.3A-3F and the preamplifier configurations of FIGS. 4A-4B need not be amutually exclusive selection. For example, a preamplifier may beconfigured as shown in FIGS. 3A-3F when low gains are desired while thepreamplifier may be switched to the configuration of FIGS. 4A-4B whenhigh gains are desired. The type of preamplifier configuration (FIG.3A-3F type vs. FIG. 4A-4B type) may also be programmable. In the examplementioned above, the type of preamplifier configuration utilized may beprogrammed based upon the desired gain. However, other factors may alsobe considered when selecting which preamplifier configuration toutilize, including characteristics of the analog input signal, relativemagnitudes of opamp and resistor noise, the type of signal processingperformed downstream of the preamplifier, etc. Further, other types ofpreamplifier configurations may be programmably used with any of thepreamplifier configurations shown herein. For example, the preamplifiersshown herein may be utilized for some gain and/or estimate levels whileother preamplifiers may be used for other gain and/or estimate levels.

A variety of circuit and layout techniques may be utilized to optimizethe performance and characteristics of the preamplifiers disclosedherein. These circuit and layout techniques may relate to the types ofopamps utilized, the arrangement of the resistor strings, theimplementation of the switches, temperature compensation, etc. Somecircuit and layout techniques which may be utilized to implement theprogrammable gain preamplifier are discussed below, however, theprogrammable gain preamplifier disclosed herein is not limited to thespecific implementation described. Moreover, the improvement techniquesdisclosed herein may be used together or independently of each other.

Any of a wide variety of opamps may be utilized to implement OPAMP1,OPAMP2, and OPAMP3. For example, OPAMP1 and OPAMP3 may be implementedwith standard voltage feedback opamps since these opamps are not used toprovide a wide gain range. OPAMP2, however, is configured to operateover a wider gain range (for example 2 to 32). Because of this gainrange, OPAMP2 may be implemented as a current feedback opamp. Currentfeedback opamps are known in the art, for example as shown in U.S. Pat.No. 4,628,279 to Nelson. Such opamps provide a −3 dB bandwidth that isrelatively independent of the closed loop gain. This provides arelatively constant noise bandwidth as a function of gain and thus maylessen the variation in antialiasing filter requirements downstream ofthe preamplifier.

The opamps utilized in the programmable gain preamplifier may also beCMOS chopper stabilized opamps. Chopper stabilized opamps reduce thepoor 1/f noise and offset characteristics of non-chopper CMOS opamps.Chopper stabilized opamps are well known in the art, for example asshown in Allen and Holberg, CMOS Analog Circuit Design, OxfordUniversity Press, p. 490-497, (1984), the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. The use of chopper stabilized opampsis particularly beneficial if the signal processing circuitry downstreamof the preamplifier is an ADC circuit. In an ADC application, the ADCmay perform one conversion with all the opamps in the first chopperphase of a chopper signal and then the ADC may perform the nextconversion with all the opamps in the second chopper phase of a choppersignal. The two ADC conversion results may then be averaged to removeoffset and noise. Thus, a given final ADC digital output may be anoutput obtained as an average of at least two ADC conversions. Half ofthe ADC conversions being averaged may be performed on an analog inputprovided from the preamplifier while the preamplifier is in the firstchopper phase and the other half of the ADC conversions may be performedon an analog input provided from the preamplifier while the preamplifieris in the second chopper phase. All of the opamps in FIGS. 3A and 4A maybe chopped in this manner. Thus, a preamplifier having chopperstabilized opamps is provided and the chopping may be performedsynchronously with at least some operations of the downstream signalprocessing circuitry, for example synchronously with ADC conversioncycles. The chopping need not be performed at all times. For example, auser supplied chopping control signal may enable chopping. Further,chopping may be applied for high preamplifier gains but not at low gainvalues. Chopping and its attendant loss of ADC throughput is alsounnecessary in ac-coupled applications not sensitive to offset and lowfrequency noise. Thus, at low gain or with the preamplifier not utilized(bypassed), an increased system throughput may be obtained sincechopping is not utilized.

The accuracy and temperature drift of the resistor strings 314 and 316will significantly impact the performance of the programmable gainpreamplifiers disclosed herein. In order to improve the accuracy of theresistor strings, laser trimming of the resistors may be utilized or theresistors may be digitally calibrated or both. As mentioned above, thetemperature drift of the resistor string is also important. For example,if the resistors are formed in polysilicon, the resistor ratios maydemonstrate a temperature drift of  ppm/° C. (individual resistanceshave resistance value drifts of order 600 ppm/° C.) over the temperaturerange of 25° C. to 125° C. Thus, the preamplifiers disclosed herein areparticularly suited for techniques that minimize the ratio drift ofresistor strings. One such technique relates to the location of thecontacts between the polysilicon resistors and the metallization layersthat connect to the resistors. In order to decrease the temperaturedrift of the resistor structure it is desirable to place the contactsand taps to the resistor string outside the current path of the resistorstring.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a technique for placing the contacts to theresistor strings outside of the current path of the resistor string.FIG. 5A illustrates a portion of the resistor string 316 of FIGS. 3A and4A. As shown in FIG. 5A, taps 512 are coupled between the resistors andswitches S2. This resistor string circuit may be implemented in anintegrated circuit by use of the structure shown in FIG. 5B. As shown inFIG. 5B, the resistors are formed in a polysilicon layer 500. Eachresistor corresponds to a length or segment of polysilicon such assegments 502, 504, and 506. Metallization layers 522 couple the taps 512of the resistor string to the switches S2 (not shown). As can be seenfrom FIG. 5B, the contacts 515 which electrically connect thepolysilicon and metallization layers are all located outside of thecurrent path I of the resistor string. Ideally all of the contacts tothe resistor string taps may be placed substantially outside of thecurrent path of the resistor and sense connections can be provided atthe top and bottom of the strings. Additional exemplary resistor stringconfigurations having all the tap contacts out of the resistor stringcurrent path are shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D. As shown in FIG. 5C, theresistor layer 500 (for example polysilicon) has a series of taps 512that each have a contact 515 placed out of the resistor string currentpath. One end of the resistor string is shown coupled through a contact534 to an external source 536 for providing Vref (Vref may alternativelybe generated within the integrated circuit). The other end of resistorstring is coupled through a contact 532 to another supply 538 (forexample an external ground connection). Inherently the voltage sourcecontacts 534 and 532 will be within the resistor string current path,and as used herein, removing all the resistor string tap contacts fromthe current path does not require such source contacts to be removedfrom the path. FIG. 5D illustrates another method of coupling areference voltage and ground to the resistor string which as used hereinalso illustrates all tap contacts being located out of the current path(i.e., all but the supply contacts). As shown in FIG. 5D, a force/sensescheme with opamps 560 may be utilized. The opamps may be external tothe preamplifier integrated circuit and connected through Vref sense pin550, Vref force pin 552, GND sense pin 554 and GND force pin 556.Alternatively, the opamps may be internal to the preamplifier integratedcircuit. It will also be recognized that the benefits of the presentdisclosure may still be realized if only a substantial majority of thetap contacts are located outside of the resistor string current path.

By providing contacts to the resistor strings that are outside of thecurrent path of the resistor string, the individual resistors of theresistor string may exhibit low temperature drifts relative to eachother. Thus, though it may be acceptable for the absolute temperaturecoefficient drift of each resistor to be large (for example 600 ppm/°C.), it is desirable for the difference in the drift between nominallyidentical resistors to be small. For example, utilizing the resistorstring techniques discussed herein, a resistor string comprised ofresistors with an absolute temperature drift of 600 ppm/° C. may have arelative drift between any two resistors that is less than 1% of theindividual absolute temperature drift of the single resistor. Resistorstrings having resistors with a relative drift between resistors of lessthan 1% the drift of a single resistor may be characterized as low driftresistor strings. More preferably, a low drift resistor string will havea relative drift between resistors of less than 0.1% of the individualdrift. Thus, for example, the techniques discussed herein may provide alow drift resistor string in which the relative drift between resistorsis on the order of 0.3 ppm/° C. even though the resistor string iscomprised of resistors which have an individual absolute drift of 600ppm/° C.

Though shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B with respect to the second resistorstring 316, this technique for placement of the contacts to the resistorstring may also be utilized with the first resistor string 314. Thus, ahomogeneous resistor string formed of a common resistive material havingtaps is provided. As mentioned above, the resistor values for theresistor strings may all be set to the same values, thus providingmatching resistor strings. Other tap and contact layouts may also beutilized in addition to the layout shown in FIG. 5B in order to achievethe desired placement of contacts outside the resistor string currentpath. For example, the layout in U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,319 providesanother resistor string having the taps and contacts located outside thecurrent path.

The placement of the resistor string tap contacts out of the currentpath is particularly advantageous when it is recognized that the outputof the preamplifier may be independent of the switch resistance of theswitches utilized to couple the opamps to the resistor strings (asmentioned above with reference to FIG. 1). More particularly, FIG. 5Eillustrates a portion of the preamplifier circuit of FIGS. 3A and 4A. Asshown in FIG. 5E, OPAMP2 is coupled to the resistor string 316 throughclosed switches S2. The switch S2 coupled between the OPAMP2 outputVout2 and the resistor string 316 has a resistance R_(S2OUT) and theswitch S2 coupled between the OPAMP2 inverting input 310 and theresistor string 316 has a resistance R_(S2IN). The resistance of the tapand contact connecting the switches S2 to the resistor string 316 isshown as Rtc. Because no current flows into the OPAMP2 input, there isno voltage drop across the switch having the resistance R_(S2IN) or theassociated tap/contact resistance Rtc. Further, although current flowsthrough the switch coupled to the OPAMP2 output and Vout2 is dependentupon the resistance of that switch and its associated tap and contact(R_(S2OUT) and Rtc), it can be shown that the voltage VOUT at theresistor string is dependent only upon the input voltage, the resistanceRf, and the resistance Ri since:${VOUT} = {{Ain}\quad \left( {1 + \frac{Rf}{Ri}} \right)}$

Thus, VOUT (and the preamplifier gain) may be independent of thetemperature drift of the switch resistances and independent of thetemperature drift of the tap and contact resistances. Thus, VOUT (andgain) will be independent of the series resistance of the tap connectedto the switch and the associated resistance of the contact at that tapas long as the contacts are located out of the current path of theresistor string.

The preamplifier configurations shown herein, therefore, provide anoutput that applies a gain to the difference between the Ain signal andAin′ estimation signal and that gain is highly stable with very lowtemperature drift. The gain may be highly stable since the resistorstrings that provide the Ain′ estimation signal and that set the gainmay be formed such that the resistor taps and associated contacts areall placed out of the resistor string current path (in a location suchthat drift in the contact resistance will not change either the Ain′estimation or the preamplifier gain).

The arrangement of the networks of switches S1, S2, and S3 may alsoimpact the performance of the preamplifier circuitry. For example, thenetwork of switches shown in FIG. 3A provide a single switch S1 betweeneach tap of the first resistor string and the noninverting input 308.However, tree type multiplexer switch networks having two or more layersof switches may provide faster switching for a given switch size. FIG.6A shows a tree type multiplexer switching network for coupling theresistor string 314 to the noninverting input 308. As shown in thefigure, any given resistor tap is selected by closing one first layerswitch S1 a and the corresponding second layer switch S1 b. The treetype multiplexer switching network approach may also be utilized forswitches S2 and S3. Moreover, more than two layers of switches may beutilized in the tree switching network. In addition, the tree typemultiplexer switching networks for switches S1 and S2 may alsoincorporate the chopper switches utilized if the opamps are operated asa chopper stabilized opamps. Exemplary chopper switches may be seen inU.S. Pat. No. 5,039,989 to Welland et al. in FIG. 7 (switches 232, 234,236, and 238), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference. Through the use of a tree type multiplexer switching network,the chopper switches may be merged into the S1 and S2 switchingnetworks, blurring the resistor string tapping and the chopperfunctions.

As shown conceptually in FIGS. 3A and 4A, each tap of the resistorstring 316 that is coupled to the switches S2 and S3 may be coupled to aplurality of switches S2 because a given tap may be connected to anOPAMP1 input, OPAMP2 input, OPAMP3 input, OPAMP1 output or OPAMP2output. However due to leakage considerations, it may be desirable toprovide only one switch at each location where the resistor string isbeing tapped as shown in FIG. 6B. Thus, the resistor string 316 may becoupled through a switch S4 to the line 320 (OPAMP3 noninverting input),line 310 (OPAMP1 inverting), line Vout1 (OPAMP1 output), and line Vout2(OPAMP2 output). In this manner only a single switch (S4) is directlyconnected to the resistor string 316 while the remaining switches S3 andS2 are coupled to the resistor string 316 through the switch S4.Ideally, switch S4 should have as high a value of switch resistance asthermal noise considerations will allow, since high switch resistancecorresponds to a small switch size and lower parasitic leakage currents.When utilizing the circuit of FIG. 6B it is desirable to utilize theswitching technique shown in FIG. 7 for coupling the noninverting inputof OPAMP3 to the resistor string 316 as described in more detail below.

It will be noted that the circuitry of FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 6B show asingle bus line for the OPAMP1 inverting input 310 and a single bus linefor the OPAMP2 inverting input 304. When chopper opamps are utilized, aseparate bus line may be provided to the network of switches S2 for eachof the chopped inputs (i.e., two bus lines for each inverting input).However, the bus line configuration shown in the figures may still bemore desirable when chopper opamps are utilized.

Leakage characteristics may also be improved by adjusting which tap iscoupled to the switch S3. As shown in FIGS. 3B-3F and FIG. 4B, the samenode along resistor string 316 that is connected to a closed switch S2(coupled to the OPAMP2 output Vout2) and is also connected to a closedswitch S3 (coupled to noninverting input of OPAMP3). By providing twoswitches at a single node, the leakage at a given node is doubled.However, an alternative configuration is shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7,rather than placing the closed switch S3 at the same node as the closedswitch S2, the closed switch S3 is tied to a node one resistor above thelocation of the OPAMP2 output Vout2. The configuration of FIG. 7 willdecrease the leakage since no current flows in the resistor string 316above the OPAMP2 output (every tap above the OPAMP2 output will settleto the same voltage as the OPAMP2 output). Leakage through the switch S3will, therefore, be decreased as compared to the configurations of FIGS.3B-3F and FIG. 4B. The switching technique of FIG. 7 is also desirablewhen using switching connections such as shown in FIG. 6B. Moreparticularly, the FIG. 7 technique helps to prevent nonlinearities andtemperature dependent voltage drops which result from current flow inthe switch coupling the output of OPAMP2 to the resistor string 316 frombeing coupled to the OPAMP3 input.

The programmable preamplifier techniques described herein provide apreamplifier having excellent stability and temperature coefficients.However since any amplifier topology will have some offset and gaintemperature coefficients, it may be desirable to provide a mechanism tocompensate for any temperature coefficients that exist. Suchcompensation may be achieved by creating calibration tables fordifferent temperatures of the preamplifier. In order to create suchtables the preamplifier may provide a temperature output indicative ofthe temperature of the preamplifier circuitry. The temperaturecoefficients for gain and offset at various temperatures may then betabulated. The temperature measured by the preamplifier circuitry neednot be highly accurate but rather merely stable and repeatable. Inoperation, the temperature of the preamplifier may be monitored andcompensation tables may then be utilized to appropriately compensate fortemperature effects. The preamplifier temperature information may beprocessed off chip or the compensation information may be integrallyprocessed with the downstream signal processing circuitry.

The temperature of the preamplifier circuitry may be obtained byutilizing circuitry generally existing in most high precisionpreamplifiers. More particularly, the bandgap reference circuitry of thepreamplifier master bias generator may have a Proportional To AbsoluteTemperature (PTAT) voltage node as is well known in the art. The PTATvoltage may be multiplexed into the OPAMP3 input whenever an indicationof the preamplifier temperature is desired, or a separate buffer mayprovide full-time temperature indication on a separate preamplifieroutput pin.

The various preamplifier components and techniques disclosed herein maybe constructed in a monolithic circuit implementation on a singleintegrated circuit. The signal processing circuitry (an ADC for example)coupled to the preamplifier output may also be included within theintegrated circuit. Alternatively, the signal processing circuitry andthe various elements of the preamplifier may be located external to thepreamplifier. For example, the resistor strings may be located externalto the integrated circuit. The Ain input signal and the Ain′ estimationmay be provided at input pins to the integrated circuit. The Ain′estimation signal may be, however, generated within the integratedcircuit itself.

Thus, a programmable gain preamplifier is provided which has a lowtemperature drift and good dynamic range characteristics. Theprogrammable gain preamplifier is provided which provides a programmablegain of the difference between two input signals (Ain and Ain′ forexample). One of the input signals (Ain′) may be an estimation of theother input signal (Ain). The estimation input signal (or a signalrelated to the estimated input) may be generated by the use of areference voltage and a first resistor string. More particularly, thereference voltage and the first resistor string may operate as a digitalto analog converter (DAC) that converts a digital estimation signal toan analog estimation voltage. The analog estimation voltage operates asan analog voltage that is a function of (or the same as) the analog Ain′estimation signal. The first resistor string may provide the estimationvoltage without loading the resistor string. Thus, the first resistorstring may be simultaneously utilized by other circuitry, such as forexample, a downstream ADC. The programmable preamplifier gain may be setby the use of a second resistor string and digitally programmableswitches. Contacts to the resistor strings may be placed outside of thecurrent path of each resistor string to provide highly stable resistorstrings having a very low temperature drift. In one preamplifierembodiment, some or all of the opamps may chopper stabilized opamps, atleast one opamp may be a current feedback opamp, the resistor stringsmay be at least 64 resistors long and programmable gains from 1 to 32may be provided.

As mentioned above, the signal processing circuitry coupled to theprogrammable gain preamplifier output may include a variety of types ofcircuits, including for example, ADC circuitry. In one example, the ADCmay be a successive approximation ADC. One type of successiveapproximation ADC is a switched binary weighted capacitor ADC.Generally, in a switched binary weighted capacitor ADC an array ofbinary weighted capacitors and a comparator are provided. An analoginput signal and a voltage reference are provided to the capacitorarray. The capacitor array provides a successive approximation outputwhich is coupled to an input of a comparator. The comparator comparesthe capacitor array output to another reference (for example ground) toproduce a digital output. An exemplary prior art switched weightedcapacitor ADC is shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, the ADC 800 mayinclude an analog input 802, a reference input 804, an array ofcapacitors 806, an array of switches 808, and a comparator 810 whichreceives as inputs the capacitor array output and ground. In operation,the analog input voltage 802 is sampled and the various switches aresuccessively opened and closed and the capacitor array output iscompared to ground to create a digital number. The operation of aswitched capacitor array is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No.4,129,863 to Gray et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference.

The accuracy of the switched capacitor array ADC 800 of FIG. 8 isaffected by the accuracy of the capacitance values of the capacitorelements. The capacitor elements may exhibit errors as originallyfabricated and may exhibit errors that change over time and temperature.Thus, it is desirable to calibrate the capacitor array at repeatedintervals and it is desirable that the ADC circuitry beself-calibrating. An exemplary prior art self-calibrating ADC circuit isshown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the ADC 900 may include an analoginput 902, a reference input 904, an array of capacitors 906, an arrayof switches 908, and a comparator 910. The array of capacitors 906 mayinclude primary capacitors 912, trim capacitors 914 and a referencecapacitor 916. In calibration, the capacitance of each primary capacitormay be repeatedly compared to the capacitance of the reference capacitor916. The capacitance of the trim capacitors may be added or subtractedto the capacitance of the primary capacitor as a result of thecomparison to the reference capacitor under control of control logic 922and a calibration ROM 924. The self-calibration of a capacitor array isdescribed in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,225 to Welland et al.and in Lee et al., “A Self-Calibrating 15 Bit CMOS A/D Converter,” IEEEJSSC, December 1984, p. 813-819, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference. In this manner, the capacitance valuesof a switched capacitor array may be repeatedly calibrated to provide amore accurate ADC.

Another type of successive approximation ADC which may be utilized inthe circuits of FIGS. 2A-2D in combination with the programmable gainpreamplifier disclosed herein is a switched resistor and capacitor arrayADC (an “R-C array ADC”). As shown in FIG. 10, a resistor and capacitorarray ADC may include a resistor array such as the resistor string 1002and a capacitor array 1004. A first set of switches 1006 and a secondset of switches 1008 are provided between the two arrays. The resistorarray may be used to obtain the MSBs and the capacitor array used toobtain the LSBs. An analog input Ain is also provided. A comparator 1010provides a comparison output to a register and control logic block 1012which provides a digital output 1014. In operation, the R-C array ADC1000 is first configured to sample the Ain voltage by connecting switch1016 to the Ain voltage and the capacitors to node 1020 so that theinput voltage may be stored on the capacitor array. A successiveapproximation search may then be performed with the resistor array(resistor string 1002) to find the greatest resistor tap voltage notgreater than the analog input voltage. This successive approximationsearch determines the MSBs of the digital output. The ends of theresistor segment defined by the previous step may then be coupled tonodes 1020 and 1022 through switches 1006, 1016 and 1018. The capacitorarray may then be switched in a successive approximation sequence. Thesequence of the comparator outputs corresponds to the digital code ofthe analog input. The operation of a R-C array ADC is described in moredetail in Fotouhi, “High-Resolution Successive Approximation Analog ToDigital Conversion Techniques In MOS Integrated Circuits” Dissertation,University of California, 1980, p. 86-93, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

As mentioned above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2D, the systems of FIGS.2A-2D may process an analog input 202 (Ain) to provide a digital output216. A digital domain predictor may determine a gain level G and ananalog input estimation Ain′. The digitally programmable preamplifier204 may produce an output related to G(Ain−Ain′). An ADC may thenconvert the preamplifier output to a digital output 216. The ADC'sdescribed herein are meant to be exemplary circuits, and the system 200may utilize other ADCs.

The closer the estimated analog signal Ain′ is to the actual analoginput Ain the smaller the difference Ain−Ain′ will be, and thus, themore gain G that may be applied without saturating (or overranging) theADC. By providing more gain to the signal difference, the difference maybe raised more above the ADC noise level. Thus, if the estimation Ain′of the Ain 202 signal is relatively accurate, subtracting the estimatedsignal will allow for increased gain in front of the ADC, and thus,result in an improved dynamic range at the ADC output.

One method to obtain an accurate estimate of the analog input Ain signalis to perform a first conversion (or estimation conversion) of the Aininput signal. Then, using the estimation conversion of the Ain inputsignal an estimation signal Ain′ may be determined. The estimationsignal Ain′ may then be utilized to perform a second conversion (or mainconversion) of the G(Ain−Ain′) preamplifier output. More particularly,in one embodiment an estimation conversion of the analog input signalAin may be performed with the preamplifier gain G=1 (i.e., thepreamplifier may be bypassed). The ADC may then convert Ain to determinea digital output Dout. Based upon the Dout value, a digital domainpredictor may then produce an Ain′ estimation. The preamplifier may thenbe digitally programmed for the appropriate gain and estimation inputvoltage settings. The second or main conversion may then be performedutilizing the gain and estimation input voltage settings to provide afull resolution analog to digital conversion representing a conversionof G(Ain−Ain′).

As mentioned above, a variety of ADCs may be utilized to convert theG(Ain−Ain′) term. One such ADC is an R-C array ADC which has a rough andfine comparators. FIG. 11A illustrates one exemplary R-C array ADChaving rough and fine comparators. As shown in FIG. 11A, a programmablegain preamplifier block 204 and the R-C array ADC 1100 are provided. Theprogrammable gain preamplifier 204 may be an amplifier configured asdisclosed above. The programmable gain preamplifier 204 may receivedigital inputs including gain signals 1110 and estimation signals 1112(utilized to configure the preamplifier switches to the desired gain andestimation values as described above). The programmable gainpreamplifier 204 may also receive a two phase chopper signal 1114. Anantialias filter 1116 receives the programmable gain preamplifieroutput. The techniques disclosed herein do not require an antialiasfilter between the preamplifier and the ADC, and alternatively, thefilter may be considered to be functionally a part of either thepreamplifier block or the ADC block.

The R-C array ADC 1100 includes a resistor array and a capacitor array.The resistor array may include the resistor string 1118. As discussed inmore detail below, the resistor string 1118 may be a stand aloneresistor string dedicated to the ADC 1100, or alternatively, may be aresistor string that is shared with the programmable gain preamplifier204. Thus, for example, resistor string 1118 and resistor string 314 ofthe programmable gain preamplifier 204 may be the same resistor string.Though the resistor string may be shared, the discussion of theoperation of the ADC herein will be with reference to figures such asFIG. 11A which shows the resistor string outside of the programmablegain preamplifier for clarity and understanding of the ADCfunctionality. The capacitor array may include capacitors 1126, 1128,1130, 1132, 1134 and 1136. Capacitor 1126 may be a sampling capacitorhaving a capacitance Cr. Capacitors 1128-1136 may be binary weightedcapacitors having capacitances of C, C, 2C, 4C, and 8C respectively asshown in the figure. A rough comparator 1120 has an inverting input 1121provided from the rough sampling capacitor 1126 and provides a roughdigital output Doutr. A fine comparator 1122 has an inverting input 1123connected to the capacitors 1128-1136 and provides a fine digital outputDoutf. For ease of illustration, the R-C array shown in FIG. 11A is athree bit resistor array and a two bit capacitor array. In oneembodiment, the resistor string may be a six bit resistor string and thecapacitor array may be a 10 bit capacitor array.

Switch Sg selectively provides either the analog input Ain 202 or anamplified output 212 as an input to the ADC 1100. Thus, both theprogrammable gain preamplifier 204 and the ADC 1100 may receive theanalog input signal Ain 202. If no gain of the analog input signal Ain202 is desired (i.e., gain G=1), the switch Sg may connect the Ain 202signal to the Ain/PGA line 1143. If a gained input signal is desired tobe provided to the ADC, the switch Sg may be configured to connect theamplified output 212 to the Ain/PGA line 1143.

The switches S1 are provided between the resistor string 1118 and twovoltage bus lines 1117 and 1119. Switches S1 may be the same switches S1as shown in FIGS. 3A-3F and 4A-4B. Switches Sa and Sb may selectivelyapply the voltage on lines 1117 and/or 1119 to an above voltage line1140 and a below voltage line 1142. Switch Sr selectively connects therough sampling capacitor 1126 to either the Ain/PGA line 1143 or thebelow line 1142. Switches Sc selectively connect the capacitors1128-1136 to either the Ain/PGA line 1143, the below line 1142, and/orthe above line 1140 as shown. Switches Sh1 and Sh2 provide feedbackaround the comparators 1120 and 1122 respectively. Switches Sh1 and Sh2may be closed when a voltage is being sampled onto the capacitor arrayor the rough sampling capacitor.

The operation of the R-C array ADC 1100 will be described with referenceto FIGS. 11B-11G and with reference to an input to the ADC provided fromthe amplifier PGA output 212 (switch Sg configured to provide the output212 to the Ain/PGA line 1143). It will be recognized that the ADCoperation described may also apply to the configuration which samplesthe Ain 202 input such as shown in FIG. 11H.

In operation, the R-C array ADC 1100 is first configured to sample theADC input voltage provided on the Ain/PGA line 1143. After theacquisition of the input signal, the resistor string array is utilizedto determine the MSBs using the rough comparator 1120. After the MSBsare determined with the resistor string and the rough comparator, aretest of the MSBs is performed with the fine comparator 1122 to confirmthe MSB determination of the rough comparator. The retest cycle allowsthe MSBs to be reconfirmed or modified by the result of a comparatorthat has not experienced the large overdrives that the rough comparatormay experience. After the retest, the even line 1117 and odd line 1119may be coupled above and below the resistor that corresponds to the MSBvoltage. The above and below voltages may then be utilized when thecapacitor array is switched in a successive approximation sequence todetermine the LSBs. The sequence of comparator outputs corresponds tothe digital codes.

The operations described above are shown in an illustrative example inFIGS. 11B-11G. FIGS. 11B-11G illustrate a conversion in which the analogvoltage to be converted lies at a voltage level between the top andbottom of the resistor R2 of the resistor string 1118 (an MSB code of001 corresponding to a voltage below Vref/4 and above Vref/8). In orderto demonstrate the retest concept, it will also be assumed that the ADCerroneously selects the MSB code 010 (i.e., a voltage corresponding tobetween the resistor R3 top and bottom taps). As shown in FIG. 11B, theamplified output 212 of the preamplifier is provided as the ADC inputand is acquired onto the rough sampling capacitor 1126 and the finecapacitor array 1128-1136. Switches Sh1 and Sh2 open to sample the inputand the ADC is configured to test the MSB with the rough comparator 1120as shown in FIG. 11C. As shown in FIG. 11C, the MSB test is provided bytesting the Vref/2 voltage of the resistor string 1118 and applying thatvoltage to the rough comparator 1120 through switches Sb and Sr. SinceVref/2 is above the voltage on the Ain/PGA line 1143, the invertinginput of the rough comparator 1120 goes positive and the roughcomparator output Doutr=0. The MSB-1 test is shown in FIG. 11D. Therough comparator output for such a test with the given input should beDoutr=0. As mentioned above, for demonstrative purposes it will beassumed that the rough comparator output is erroneously Doutr=1 (due tocomparator memory or other errors). The configuration for the MSB-2 bit(the last of the MSBs determined with the resistor array) is shown inFIG. 11E and yields a rough comparator output of Doutr=0.

The retest configuration which tests the MSBs determined with the roughcomparator 1120 is shown in FIG. 11F. As shown in FIG. 11F, only thefine comparator 1122 is utilized in the retest and during the retest(and all subsequent LSB tests) the rough comparator is returned totracking the Ain/PGA line 1143. During the retest cycle, the voltagelevel that is determined to be just below the analog input beingconverted as determined with the rough comparator cycle is tested. Asshown in FIG. 11F, the retest voltage is the voltage just below resistorR3 (corresponding to the voltage just below the erroneous 010determination). The selected voltage of the resistor string is thenapplied through switches Sd and Sc to the capacitors 1128-1136 as shown.The output of the fine comparator 1122 will then be Doutf=0, indicatinga mistake in the rough comparator operation. In the case of an errordetermination, the determined value of the MSBs may then be decrementedto provide a retest value of the MSBs.

The voltages from the resistor string above and below the MSBs asdetermined by the retest may then be coupled to the capacitor arraycoupled to the fine comparator. As shown in FIG. 11G, the voltages aboveand below the resistor R2 may be provided to the above line 1140 andbelow line 1142 respectively through switches Sa and Sb. The LSBs maythen be determined successively by successively switching the capacitors1128-1136 with the configuration of FIG. 11G until the LSB isdetermined.

FIG. 11H shows the R-C array ADC 1100 coupled to the Ain 202 analogsignal in order to sample the analog input without any gain. When it isdesirable to convert the analog input with any gain, the remaining stepsfor operation of the ADC when an amplified input is provided will remainthe same as described above with respect for a conversion of the Ain 202input (except with the switch Sg coupled to the amplified output line212). When the Ain 202 signal is being sampled directly (bypassing thepreamplifier so gain G=1) for the purpose of determining an estimatedsignal Ain′, the ADC operation may be modified. In particular, theestimated signal Ain′ may be provided merely to determine the properselection of a tap in the preamplifier resistor string 314 (a six bitresolution resistor string in the examples herein). Thus, the fullsixteen bit accuracy of the ADC 1100 is not needed and only the six MSBsmay be needed to determine which tap to select for the Ain′ estimate.The conversion using the ADC 1100 may therefore be halted when the sixMSBs (i.e., the number of MSBs corresponding to the resolution of theresistor string 314 of the preamplifier) are determined. It will berecognized that if the resistor string 314 which provides Ain′ has aresolution higher than six bits then additional MSBs should bedetermined by the ADC 1100. When chopper stabilization techniques areutilized in the preamplifier, the ADC may be operated so that a fullconversion is performed for each of the two chop phases and the ADCoutput digital words for each phase may be averaged to produce the finalADC output.

It will further be noted that the use of a rough and fine comparator isnot limited to an R-C array ADC, but rather, may also be utilized with acapacitor array ADC such as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 8and 9. In such a system using a capacitor array, a resistor string maybe coupled to the preamplifier input (such as resistor string 314 ofFIGS. 3A and 4A), a capacitor array may be utilized in the ADCcircuitry, and the ADC circuitry may include both rough and finecomparators. An exemplary capacitor array ADC using rough and finecomparators is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,853 to Kiriaki, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

As mentioned above, the resistor string 1118 of the R-C array ADC 1100may be implemented as the same resistor string as resistor string 314 ofthe programmable gain preamplifier 204. Thus, the programmable gainpreamplifier and the ADC may have a shared resistor string. Inoperation, the switches S1 and Sb may be configured to couple theresistor string 1118 to the programmable gain preamplifier input 1109prior to the sampling of the amplified output 212 shown in FIG. 11H. Aprotection network may be built into the programmable gain preamplifier212 so that after sampling occurs and as conversion process proceeds,the input 1109 of the preamplifier will not swing as the resistor string1118 tap switches are changed.

The resistors utilized with the ADC (whether shared or not) may beimplemented in a polysilicon layer or in a laser trimmable layer such asa ni-chrome layer. In either case, the contacts to the resistor stringmay be removed from the resistor string current path according to thetechniques discussed above. In a polysilicon embodiment, the temperaturecoefficients of the resistor ratios may provide a sufficient accuracy(if calibrated as described below) such that over a temperature range of25° C. to 125° C. the ADC integral nonlinearity (INL) error may be inthe range of a few ppm of the ADC full scale.

Though the temperature drift of the resistors of the resistor stringsdisclosed herein (for example resistor strings 314, 316 and 1118) may below, the actual resistor values may not be highly accurate. Theseinaccuracies will provide errors in the gain, estimation input, and/orthe ADC INL error. Thus, it is desirable to calibrate the resistorstrings with a calibration system. One calibration method is to utilizea highly linear ADC to calibrate the resistor strings. The ADC may be,for example, a metal-metal capacitor delta sigma modulated ADC, such asshown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,807 to Early et al., thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Metal-metalcapacitors provide improved linearity and the large parasiticcapacitance associated with such capacitors negated since thecalibration delta sigma ADC is relatively slow and insensitive toparasitics. The delta sigma modulator may be autozeroed or chopped toprovide improved long-term stability, offset and 1/f noise, and themodulator's digital filter may be designed to reject interferencecoupled into the delta sigma ADC at ac line frequencies and theirharmonics.

In one embodiment, a six bit resistor string may be accuratelycalibrated utilizing a 20 bit ADC. The calibration concept may be seenwith reference to FIG. 12. As shown FIG. 12, the exemplary resistorstring being calibrated is the resistor string 1118. The highly linearcalibration ADC 1202 may sample the tap voltages at each tap of theresistor string by selectively closing one of the switches S1 to providea digital output value Dcal corresponding to the tap voltage. Theresults of the calibration need not be utilized to change the actualvalues of the resistors of the resistor string, rather the outputresults of the overall system may be digitally post corrected by theknowing the calibration data. For example, if the actual voltages of theresistor strings 314 and the resistor ratios of the resistor string 316of the programmable gain amplifier are known, then a post correction ofthe system output when the input signal is amplified may be accomplishedsince the effect of the resistor inaccuracies on the G(Ain−Ain′)function may be determined. Likewise, knowing the inaccuracies of theresistor string 1118 will allow for a post conversion correction of theADC output. In the case when the resistor strings 314 and 1118 areshared, a single calibration will therefore calibrate the resistors ofthe preamplifier input and the ADC resistor array. The same calibrationADC 1202 may be utilized to calibrate the each resistor string 314, 316,and/or 1118. Though the resistor string 316 may be directly calibratedby the calibration ADC 1202, the resistor ratios of the resistor string316 may alternatively be inferred. In particular, the resistor ratios ofresistor string 316 may be inferred by calibrating each tap of theresistor string 314 and measuring the OPAMP3 output when a known inputis provided to the Ain 202 input (the known input may be another of thetaps of the resistor string 314). Thus, a single highly accuratecalibration ADC may be utilized to calibrate all of the resistor stringsof the system. The gain and offset of the calibration ADC itself may bemeasured immediately prior to calibrating a resistor string orimmediately prior to measuring the voltage of each tap of the resistorstring. By using a highly linear ADC 1202 (for example a metal-metalcapacitor delta sigma ADC), the ADC 1202 may be the linearity referenceof the system. The ADC 1202 may compensate for both initial componenterrors and aging of components over time.

Though shown as a separate ADC, the ADC 1202 may be the same ADC that isused for converting the analog input signal Ain to a digital output. Forexample, the resistor string 314 may be calibrated with the ADC 1100 ofthe figures or if a capacitor array ADC is utilized for Ain dataconversions, the capacitor array ADC may be utilized to calibrate theresistor string. However, using a switched R-C array ADC or a switchedcapacitor array ADC in place of a separate calibration ADC 1202 mayresult in a lower calibration performance since the switched array ADCsmay have less linearity.

The resistor string may also be calibrated by providing accurately knowninputs to the Ain 202 input of the ADC 1100 and coupling those inputs tothe Ain/PGA line 1143 (no gain applied). The accurately known inputs maythen be converted by the ADC 1100. The ADC outputs created may then becompared to ADC outputs generated when applying voltages from theresistor string 1118 to the Ain/PGA line 1143. A comparison of the ADCoutputs when using the resistor string and the ADC outputs when usingthe accurately known voltages may then be used to create a calibrationtable for the resistor string that indicates the resistor value errors.This technique may also be utilized to calibrate a preamplifier resistorstring such as resistor string 314. Moreover, this technique is notlimited to R-C array ADCs, but rather a capacitor array ADC may be usedin this manner to help calibrate a resistor string in other circuitry(such as the resistor string 314 of the preamplifier). The calibrationtable may then be used to post conversion correct for errors in aresistor string whether that resistor string is in a preamplifier, theADC or both. Utilizing accurate known input voltages, may however,require periodic user recalibrations.

As mentioned above, the calibration data generated by calibrating theresistor strings may be utilized to post conversion correct the outputdata of the ADC 1100. Such post corrections, though may result inmapping uncorrected ADC data and corrected ADC data in a manner thatgenerates missing digital output codes. For example, a sixteen bit ADC1100 having a six bit resistor array and a ten bit capacitor array willsegment each voltage of the resistor string into 1024 segments. A tableof exemplary mapping for some resistor inaccuracies in the resistorstring 1118 is shown below. The example below illustrates potentialerrors that may occur if two adjacent resistors Rz and Rz+1(theresistors being near midscale) have +5% and −5% errors in theirresistance.

Uncorrected Corrected V_(in)/V_(ref) ADC data data 0.531250 34816 34816Rz < > 1024 > 1075 0.514844 33792 33741 Rz + 1 < > 1024 > 973 0.50000032768 32768

In the table, ADC exemplary data for voltages in two resistor ranges, Rzand Rz+1 are shown. For inputs in the Rz range, 1024 uncorrected ADCdata output values map into 973 corrected data output values. Thus nodigital codes are missing in this range as at least one uncorrectedvalue exists for each corrected value. However, in the Rz+1 range 1024uncorrected ADC data output values map into 1075 corrected data outputvalues leaving 51 missing codes from the corrected ADC output. Thepotential for missing codes may be lessened by adding one extra bit ofresolution to the capacitor array (i.e. an extra capacitor). With theexample ten bit capacitor resolution, an extra capacitor may thereforebe utilized, however, the uncorrected data may still be mapped to 10 bitresolution (the number of digital codes per resistorsegment=1024±resistor errors). This should assure that no missing codesin the corrected ADC data.

The techniques described herein simulate the use of a highly accurateand highly stable resistor string. Though the resistor strings utilizedherein may not be inherently highly accurate (for example a six bitstring which has resistor value errors of ±5%), the resistor string maybe calibrated to a high level of accuracy (for example twenty bitaccuracy). Moreover, utilizing techniques which place the resistorstring contacts out of the current path provides highly stable resistorstrings having very little drift. Using the calibration data for systemlevel corrections at the output provides a system output accuracy thatsimulates the use of a much higher accuracy resistor string.

Because a highly stable and highly accurate resistor string may beachieved by utilizing the concepts described herein (locating contactsout the resistor string current path and calibrating the resistorstring), the calibrated resistor string may be utilized to calibrate theADC 1100 or another type of ADC used as the main ADC in place of the ADC1100, such as for example, a capacitor array ADC. In such circumstances,the voltages at the various resistor string taps may be applied as aninput to the ADC. Knowing the calibration factors for the resistorstring, and thus the actual voltages at each tap, the ADC output codesmay be analyzed for each voltage of the resistor string. From theseoutput codes a calibration table may be created for the ADC itself.

The offset of the rough and fine comparators 1120 and 1122 may change asa result of overdrives the comparator experiences. This “memory” effectmay result in DNL errors even if an additional capacitor is added to thecapacitor array. The memory effect may be lessened by using comparatorshaving p-channel transistor input devices rather than n-channel inputdevices.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of this invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description.Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative onlyand is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the mannerof carrying out the invention. It is to be understood that the forms ofthe invention herein shown and described are to be taken as presentlypreferred embodiments. Equivalent elements may be substituted for thoseillustrated and described herein, and certain features of the inventionmay be utilized independently of the use of other features, all as wouldbe apparent to one skilled in the art after having the benefit of thisdescription of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. An analog to digital conversion system, comprising:a first analog to digital conversion path utilizing a first estimationanalog signal, the first estimation analog signal being an estimate ofan analog signal to be converted; and a second signal path providing abackup digital signal.
 2. The system of claim 1, the first analog todigital conversion path using a gain that is greater than the gain usedin the second signal path.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the secondsignal path is utilized when an error event occurs in the first analogto digital conversion path.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the errorevent is an overrange event.
 5. The system of claim 1, an input to afirst analog to digital converter in the first analog to digitalconversion path being a function of the analog signal and the firstestimation analog signal.
 6. The system of claim 1, the input signalbeing related to a gained difference between the analog signal and thefirst estimation signal.
 7. The system of claim 6, the second signalpath utilizing a second estimation analog signal.
 8. The system of claim1, the first analog to digital converter signal path and the secondsignal path sharing at least a portion of an analog to digitalconverter.
 9. An analog to digital conversion system, comprising: a mainanalog to digital converter receiving an input signal, the input signalbeing generated at least in part by utilizing an estimation signal; anda backup analog to digital conversion path.
 10. The system of claim 9,further comprising a preamplifier coupled to the main analog to digitalconverter.
 11. The system of claim 10, the preamplifier using a gainthat is greater than the gain used in the backup analog to digitalconversion path.
 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the backup analog todigital conversion path is utilized when a main analog to digitaloverrange event occurs.
 13. The system of claim 9, the input signalbeing related to a gained difference between an analog signal and theestimation signal, the estimation signal being a function of the analogsignal.
 14. The system of claim 9, the backup analog to digitalconversion path utilizing a second estimation analog signal.
 15. Thesystem of claim 9, the backup analog to digital conversion path beingunity gain.
 16. An analog to digital conversion system configured toconvert an analog signal, comprising: a main analog to digitalconverter; an estimation digital to analog converter, the estimationdigital to analog converter providing an estimation signal that is afunction of the analog signal, an input to the main analog to digitalconverter being a function of the estimation signal; and a backup analogto digital converter.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least aportion of the main analog to digital converter is shared with thebackup analog to digital converter.
 18. The system of claim 16, furthercomprising an estimation analog to digital converter, wherein at least aportion of the estimation analog to digital converter is shared with themain analog to digital converter and/or the backup analog to digitalconverter.
 19. A method for analog to digital conversion, comprising:estimating an analog input; providing an amplified signal that is afunction of the analog input signal and the estimate of the analoginput; converting the amplified signal to produce a first conversionresult; and providing a backup conversion path to produce a secondconversion result.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the gain valueutilized to provide the amplified signal is greater than the gain valueutilized in the backup conversion path.
 21. The method of claim 19,further comprising utilizing the backup conversion path when the firstconversion result is overranged.
 22. The method of claim 19, theamplified signal being related to a gained difference between the analogsignal and the first estimation signal.
 23. A method for analog todigital conversion, comprising: estimating an analog signal to providean estimation signal; generating a signal that is a function of theanalog input signal and the estimate of the analog input; utilizing thesignal when generating a main conversion result; and generating a backupconversion result.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:utilizing a first gain value for generating the main conversion result;and utilizing a second gain value for generating the backup conversionresult.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of the firstand second gain value is variable.
 26. The method of claim 24, whereinthe first gain value is greater than the second gain value.
 27. Themethod of claim 24, wherein the second gain value is unity.
 28. Themethod of claim 23, wherein the backup conversion result is utilizedwhen an overrange event occurs while generating the main conversionresult.
 29. An analog to digital conversion system, comprising: ananalog input node and a digital output node; a preamplifier; a firstanalog to digital converter, the preamplifier provided in a signal pathbetween the analog input node and the first analog to digital converter,and the first analog to digital converter provided in a signal pathbetween the preamplifier and the digital output node; an estimationsignal related to an analog signal to be converted by the analog todigital conversion system, an amplified signal of the preamplifier beingrelated to the analog signal and the estimation signal; and a backupanalog to digital conversion path coupled to the analog input node, thebackup analog to digital conversion path providing a backup digitaloutput.
 30. The system of claim 29, the backup analog to digitalconversion path having a gain circuit, the gain of the gain circuitbeing less than or equal to the gain of preamplifier.
 31. The system ofclaim 29, the backup analog to digital conversion path providing unity.gain.
 32. The system of claim 29, further comprising a digital to analogconverter, the estimation signal being converted to an analog estimationsignal by the digital to analog converter.
 33. An analog to digitalconversion system, comprising: an analog input node receiving an analoginput signal and a digital output node; an estimation signal; apreamplifier; a first analog to digital converter coupled to thepreamplifier, an input to the first analog to digital converter beingrelated to a difference between the analog input signal and theestimation signal; and a backup analog to digital converter, the backupanalog to digital converter coupled between the analog input node and abackup digital output node.
 34. The system of claim 33, furthercomprising a digital to analog converter, the estimation signal being adigital estimation signal, the digital to analog converter convertingthe digital estimation signal to an analog estimation signal.
 35. Thesystem of claim 33, the backup analog to digital converter being withina backup analog to digital conversion path, the backup analog to digitalconversion path having gain less than or equal to the gain ofpreamplifier.
 36. The system of claim 33, the backup analog to digitalconversion path also receiving the estimation signal, an input to thebackup analog to digital converter being related to the analog signaland the estimation signal.
 37. The system of claim 33, the backup analogto digital conversion path receiving a second estimation signal, aninput to the backup analog to digital converter being related to theanalog input signal and the second estimation signal.
 38. A method ofconverting an analog signal to a digital signal, comprising: providingthe analog signal at an analog input node; providing an estimationsignal, the estimation signal being an estimate of the analog signal;generating an amplified signal with a preamplifier, the amplified signalbeing related to a difference between the analog signal and theestimation signal; utilizing the amplified signal to provide an input toan analog to digital converter; and selectively providing a backupdigital output signal, the backup digital output signal providing adigital output related to the analog signal.
 39. The method of claim 38,wherein the backup digital output signal is selectively provided when anoverrange event occurs.
 40. A method of converting an analog signal to adigital signal, comprising: providing the analog signal at an analoginput node; utilizing main estimation conversion circuitry to provide afirst digital output signal, the main estimation conversion circuitryincluding an amplified version of a difference between the analog signaland an estimation signal, the estimation signal being an estimate of theanalog signal; and utilizing backup conversion circuitry to provide abackup digital output signal.
 41. The method of claim 40, wherein thebackup conversion circuitry utilizes the estimation signal.
 42. Themethod of claim 40, wherein the backup conversion circuitry utilizes asecond estimation signal.
 43. The method of claim 40, wherein a gain ofthe backup conversion circuitry is less than a gain of the mainestimation conversion circuitry.
 44. The method of claim 43, wherein thebackup conversion circuitry provides the backup digital output signalwhen the main estimation conversion circuitry has an overrange event.